Wednesday, August 29, 2012

J/70, J/97 & J/111 @ Newport BoatshowDiscover Sailing a J/70, J/80 & J/95 Too!
(Newport, RI)- From September 13th to 16th, J/Boats and J/Dealers will be displaying the NEW J/70, J/97 and J/111 at the traditional location on the end of the Newport Yachting Center just NW of the "gas dock", right on the waterfront- location NYC Dock N-O E.

As part of the "Discover Sailing" program offered by the Newport Sailboat Show and J/Boats, anyone attending the show can sign-up to sail the brand new J/70 speedster, International J/80 One-Design and the fabulous shoal-water performance cruiser/ daysailor- the J/95! Be sure to book your calendar now and take the opportunity to sail three fun J's around Newport Harbor! Please be sure to contact your J/Dealer now for an appointment and even a demo sail soon! For more Newport Sailboat Show informationJ/70 @ HISWA Boatshow
(Amsterdam, Netherlands)- Over the September 4th to 9th weekend in Amsterdam, J/Boats Netherlands will be displaying the J/70 on its trailer just inside the main entrance to the show at Stand Number- K110. This will be the first J/70 displayed in a European Boatshow in 2012, so be sure to contact Angelique Verhoef via email- angelique@jboats.nl- for an appointment or for a demo-sail after the show! For more HISWA Amsterdam Sailboat Show informationRORC Cherbourg Race PreviewThe J/105 As IRC Offshore Weapon?
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The final event of the challenging RORC 2012 sailing season is now upon us. The RORC's Cherbourg Race sets sail on Friday. For some, it's sweet solace that they can reflect on a remarkable season of sailing and simply enjoy a "romp" across "La Manche" (the English Channel) over to Cherbourg to savor some delicious French wines and cheeses in celebration of class wins already sewn-up. For others, it will be an outright battle, if not war, to secure a good score to factor into the season championship. For a certain J/105 sailing into history in the hallowed halls of an ultimate sailing champion, it will be a celebratory sail for one division win, but the ultimate fight for another class and overall! How can that be?? Well, read on to understand what an amazing season this J/105 has sailed to date-- for a double-handed crew, no less!

In recent years, the 75-mile-sprint to Cherbourg has always been the last hurrah of the RORC Season’s Point Championship. This year’s championship has been one of the most hotly contested for many years. Three yachts are contesting the overall championship and many of the podium places, in the seven classes racing under IRC, are still hanging in the balance.

“Most of the yachts will finish the race in time to enjoy a party atmosphere at the Yacht Club de Cherbourg,” commented RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott. “The end of the season is a time when a lot of the sailors really get a chance to meet up and share their memories of the season, the 2012 RORC Season’s Points Championship has been one of extremes with many very windy races but also barely enough breeze to keep going in others. The forecast for this weekend looks likely to give the fleet a downwind finale to the season with a north to north west moderate breeze and clear skies. However, it is highly likely that the wind will drop significantly on approach to Cherbourg and with a strong tide, we could see a exciting finish to the race and a dramatic end to seven months of racing.”

For the RORC Overall Championship, just 17 points back in second overall is Nick Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J. Reigning RORC Season’s Points Champion, Piet Vroon’s Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens lies in third place just 2.4 points further back! How's that for a dichotomy in offshore racing boats-- a 1992 design (the J/105 now 30 years young!) sailed by an amateur family crew against the latest from Jason Ker's IRC drawing board just 2 years old sailed by a professional yacht-racing crew!

In IRC One, Tonnerre de Breskens will be fighting it out for the class win. Meanwhile, the J/105 DIABLO-J is currently leading in IRC Three, but an overall winner is far from settled. The IRC classes are decided upon by the best four scores for the season. Up to four boats can all snatch victory on the last race just in IRC Three.

In the Two-handed Division, the J/105 DIABLO-J has secured the class win-- an early "good on'ya'mates", but no time to rest on their laurels as Nick aims for the IRC 3 win and RORC Overall, too! Thanks for the contribution from Louay Habib/ RORC. For more RORC Cherbourg Race sailing informationChampion J/Teams Sailing Vineyard Race
(Stamford, CT)- Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event; a 238-mile course stretching from Shippan Point, through the swirling currents of the Race or Plum Gut, past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay, to return leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor. Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for over 70 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck. As one wag put it, "go through Plum Gut or die"-- while not always the case, it does have some merit of truth since primary breezes often are either sea-breeze or gradient weather system breezes from the southerly quadrants, most often from the southwest, so going up under the Long Island shore near Montauk Point often provides significant benefits in terms of both tidal currents and winds.

There are 85 boats sailing with 20 J/Teams racing. And, amongst those J/Crews, it reads like a "who's who" of the Northeastern offshore sailing fraternity-- collectively there are countless Overall and Class Champions in the Block Island Race, Vineyard Race, Bermuda Race, Key West Race Week and New York YC Race Weeks-- in other words, a "rogue's gallery" of teams that are all perfectly capable of grabbing their fair share of silverware!

On the "classic" Vineyard Course there are a combination of Double-handed teams plus IRC and PHRF classes. Leading the charge in the IRC Double-handed will be a trio of J/Duos, including the J/100 FLASHPOINT sailed by Adrian Little of Cedar Point YC and two champion teams- the J/35 PALADIN sailed by Jason Richter of Setauket YC (a Bermuda Race champion) and the J/120 MIREILLE skippered by Hewitt Gaynor from Pequot YC- another champion double-handed team. In the IRC 40 will be the champion family team on-board Andrew Weiss's J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from Larchmont YC, they'll be challenged by yet another champion J/44 CHARLIE V sailed by Norm Schulman from Storm Trysail Club. In the IRC 45 Class, the J/133 MATADOR skippered by Dale & Mike McIvor from Pequot YC will be a significant factor in a class dominated by custom boats given the current weather forecast. The same will be true for the IRC 50 Class were the J/145 SWEET LORRAINE sailed by Mike Nasen from Larchmont YC could give some of the recent custom IRC offshore racers a run for the money! Finally, to round out the IRC world, the IRC 35 class has to be one of the toughest to win-- all well-sailed boats by veteran offshore racers on Long Island Sound. A quartet of J/109s will be vying for class honors, including APSARA (Mike Sleightholme- Huguenot YC), ARIEL (Jeff Warren- Pequot YC), SKOOT (Jim Vos- Stamford YC) and RHIANNON III (Curt Schibli- Stamford YC). Not letting any of them off the hook will be another "classic 35 footer" from the J drawing boards, the J/35 BLUE MOUSE sailed by the team of Mark Parry & Lawrence McGrath from Riverside YC.

Over in PHRF World, sailing in PHRF 7 Class is the J/105 STRATOS (Marcus Wunderlich from Jersey City, NJ) and in PHRF 8 Class are two J/120s, EAGLE (Steven Levy from Indian Harbor YC) and M-SQUARED (Bill Mack from Stamford YC).

On the Cornfield Point Course, sailing C2 Class will be the fast J/Cruiser, the J/32 AMY BETH II skippered by Dana O'Brien from Riverside YC.

Sailing the Seaflower Reef Course in the S2 Double-handed will be a past champion, the J/105 MORNING GLORY sailed by Carl Olsson from Larchmont YC. And in the S3 Class will be a quartet of J's that include the J/105 SYNERGY (David Spence- Manhattan Sailing Club), the J/33 SIRIUS (Mike Sullivan- Fayerweather YC), the J/92 RISK (Kevin Mackay- Riverside YC) and the J/92 THIN MAN (Todd Aven- Storm Trysail Club).

The initial forecast for the Vineyard Race weekend looks very promising. Here's the NOAA "crystal ball" predictions for the weekend:

If the forecast is anywhere near to what has happened in past Vineyard Races, the start of the race will be "fast & furious" with the entire fleet flying spinnakers in all their glory flying down Long Island Sound to the East in spectacular fashion, leading them through "The Race" at the end of Long Island Sound in a dying breeze. Then, the big question will be how to go around the "Vineyard buoy" and return back West to Long Island Sound in light winds-- perhaps the "right side/ north side" of the course headed back West may pay off big this year?? Time will tell. For more Stamford-Vineyard Race sailing informationHappy Days Sailing J/95s on Barnegat Bay
(Barnegat Bay, New Jersey)- Since their introduction in 2009, J/95s are past the three-dozen mark produced and sailing worldwide. They've gained a whole new class of passionate sailors around the world who love them for their remarkable versatility and extraordinary performance in shoal-draft mode (3.5 feet) with centerboard up. Whether sailing in exotic locations such as the spectacular mountain lakes in the Swiss Alps, gliding across the shallow bays and inlets of Florida's western "Sun Coast", dashing around the riverbeds and shallows off the eastern shores of midland England, or simply enjoying a summer breeze darting around the shoals on wonderful Barnegat Bay, the J/95 is providing its owners a tremendous amount of fun with families and friends in areas that were simply inaccessible with deep-keel offshore sailboats.

One of those J/95 enthusiasts, Dr. Richard Eytel, has been sailing his J/95 on Barnegat Bay and passed along to designer Rod J some of the reasons why he loves his boat so much! "Dear Rod, I just want to tell you how much I enjoy the J/95. It is a perfect boat for the shallows of Barnegat Bay. Races great, day sails great, and has the potential to do overnighters. In addition it seems to be able to compete against deeper draft in other venues.

My crew is especially receptive to the large deck and room. Having only raced PHRF with cruising boats, the deck room on this boat has no comparison. With the average age of our crew being close to 60 and not exactly in great shape. I think this boat has extended our racing for another decade or more. The excitement is back. We were able to stay competitive with other J/95s with crews half our age. Don't get me wrong, I too wish we were half our age.

Day sailing is a pleasure. I can single hand it, take out other inexperienced friends or relatives and everyone feels comfortable.

I am a firm believer of purchasing a boat as to how you are going to use it, and the J/95 does it all well.

There are now five J/95s on Barnegat Bay, of which three race. Having only raced PHRF, I find the one design aspect of the racing thrilling. We have had races where the lead changed hands 3-4 times. I can only hope you will continue to promote the boat as I would love to see the fleet grow. We brought two J/95s to Atlantic City Race Week on a Thursday in a 20-30+ kt Northeaster. We even had fun doing that!"

Richard then goes on to say, "I would also like to offer my assistance in making the fleet grow here in New Jersey, and elsewhere. I hope to see a large one design start someday at more regattas. Tri-Sail was a blast; hopefully it was just a taste of what is to come. I honestly think J Boats and the J/95 has only scratched the surface of the market for this boat in New Jersey and elsewhere." Sincerely, Richard- THE GRIN. For more J/95 shoal-performance sailboat informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It has been a busy August sailing schedule and the last week in August is no exception. In Europe, the J/80s completed sailing their next leg in the J/Cup France season long series with a large fleet enjoying the Pornic Cup in Pornic, France. Their big boat friends at Cantiere Navale Pornic also enjoyed sailing the Pornic Offshore Race that goes across the Bay of Biscay to Gijon, Spain for some fun and frolic-- the French teams on the J/109s and J/105s had a rollicking good time enjoying Club Habana along with copious amounts of sangria and tapas. A bit farther east, the "girls" show how it gets done in Hong Kong, with an all-girl crew walking off with all the silverware in the Hebe Haven J/80 Typhoon series-- and they were dressed in style! On the North American side of things the Canadians hosted two large events. Kingston, Ontario played host to one of the largest one-design sailing regattas in the world- CORK Race Week- this year featuring the J/22 Canadian Nationals. Further west on Lake Ontario, the Etobicoke Yacht Club west of Toronto hosted the IRC Canadian Championship with a J/133, J/35 and J/27 featuring in the overall results. Simultaneously, the EYC also hosted the EYC Levels Regatta that saw very competitive fleets of J/24s and J/105s dueling for Lake Ontario supremacy and bragging rights for 2012! As for their sailing neighbors to the South, the PHRF New Englands were sailed in Marblehead, Massachusetts hosted by the three main clubs (Eastern YC, Boston YC & Corinthian YC) and along with a strong turn-out of J/105s sailing one-design, the J/Teams sailing PHRF (J/109s, J/100 and J/33) grabbed some serious silverware to add to their trophy shelves. Finally, out West, the J/105 and J/120 one-design fleets had an enjoyable time sailing in San Francisco YC's Summer Invitational on the beautiful, windy, San Francisco Bay.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/109s Sweep PHRF New EnglandsJ/105 STEEL AWAY Takes Class
(Marblehead, MA)- The New England PHRF Championships were held this past weekend off the beautiful Marblehead and Salem coastline. The fleet was blessed with decent weather conditions with the PHRF Classes and nineteen J/105 one-designs enjoying good, competitive sailing-- most fleets managed to sail seven races over two days!

The STEEL AWAY team led by Peter Morgan sailed a great regatta, leading the charge amongst the large J/105 one-design fleet with a 12 pt win! Peter's fast crew amassed an incredible consistent record of 3-3-4-2-2 for just 14 pts. Just behind him, it was an all-out dogfight for the next two positions on the podium. Emerging from the dust in the ring was Matt Pike's GOT QI! with a roller-coaster-like 1-4-9-1-11 record for 26 pts. Third was past NE-PHRF champion Fred deNapoli sailing ALLEGRO SEMPLICITA to a 2-6-8-9-6 tally for 31 pts. Just one point back in fourth was Mark Masur's TWO FEATHERS with a 6-1-12-8-5 for 32 pts, falling off into the deep end of the pool after a strong start! Rounding out the top five was George Lowden & Rich Hill's DARK HORSE 2, sailing a "barbell" shaped score of 13-5-3-3-10 for 34 pts.

In the PHRF handicap world, it was pretty clear the J/109 fleet had a handle on the race course as well as their competitors, simply smoking fleet and taking the top FIVE spots in PHRF 3 class! Chris Zbailo's SUPERSTITION started slowly and finished with a flourish, scoring a 6-2-1-3-2-2-1 for just 11 pts in seven races! Giving them a serious run-for-the-roses was Gary Weisberg's well-traveled HEAT WAVE, proving that their Key West Race Week 2012 and Charleston Race Week 2012 were good warm-ups for a strong summer sailing season by his team. Gary managed to score consistent top five finishes to finish 2nd overall with a 4-1-2-1-5-1-4 record of 13 pts-- they were the only three race winners! Third on the podium was the Feeley family sailing LADY LOVE to a 1-3-7-2-1-5-3 scoreline for 15 pts. Rounding out the top five were Dan Boyd & Mitch Wiest's WILDTHANG in 4th with 27 pts and 5th was John Doub's RESOLVE with 28 pts.

In the rest of the PHRF world, the J/100 MOOSE DROOL sailed by Adam Saidla was 4th in PHRF 4 class, finishing in 5th behind them was Ward Blodgett's J/33 SCIROCCO. In PHRF 5 class, the J/29 UNO MAS sailed by Jon Desmond finished 2nd and another J/29 APEIRON skippered by Tom Zampini was 5th. In PHRF 7 class, the J/24s still got it and, sailed well, are always extremely competitive in PHRF racing-- witness SPEED JUNKY's 3rd in class, job well done by Rob Petersen and crew! Sailng photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com. For more PHRF New Englands sailing informationQUANTUM SAILS wins J/80 Pornic Cup
(Pornic, France)- As the next leg in J/Cup France 2012 series, the Pornic Cup hosted by the Cantiere Navale Pornic saw twenty-six boats participate in the hopes of securing good results to end the season-long championship in the top five. It has been a battle all year to determine which teams would emerge unscathed from the battle to survive and command the podium positions at the end of the 2012 series. New actors on the stage are introduced all the time and this regatta was no exception. Sailing to a well-deserved victory was the QUANTUM SAILS team led by Jean Queveau along with team-mates Axel Trehin, Damien Iehl and two women- Veronique Soule and Claire Pruvot.

The weather forecast was quite promising, with strong winds for sailing on Friday and Saturday with winds diminishing into the single digits for Sunday with warm weather and sun! Sailed over the August 24th to 26th weekend, the teams couldn't have asked for better sailing conditions. After sailing six races, the QUANTUM SAILS team managed to post a 1-2-1-1-4-6 record for a net of 9 pts. Top French J/80 team INTERFACE CONCEPT II sailed by French Champion Eric Brezellec also managed to sail a consistent scoreline, his 3-3-2-7-1-2 for 11 net pts was good enough for the silver and an improved position in the top three for the overall J/Cup France trophy. Perhaps the most frustrated team was that led by Vincent Vandekerkhove, their DUNKERQUE PLAISANCE team sailed the most consistently of the top three, scoring a 2-1-3-3-2-3 for a 14 pt gross total and 11 net total to not only lose the tie-breaker to Brezellec's IC-II team, but also lose the win on gross pts to end up third overall! The balance of the top five included Jacques Hubert sailing EOS to a 6-4-6-8-3-1 score to finish on a high-note with just 20 pts net to secure 4th overall and lying fifth was Paul Chiron sailing JULES to a 4-8-7-5-5-4 for 25 pts net. Sailing photo credits- Pierrick Contin/ France. For more J/80 Pornic Cup sailing informationDoyle's Dominate CORK Race WeekChris Doyle Wins J/22 Canadian Championship
(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)- In 1969 a group of enthusiastic sailors decided to establish CORK to host international sailing events off Kingston. The area offers some of the best fresh-water sailing in the world, excellent wind and wave conditions, and a short distance from shore to the race courses. Leading up to the 1976 Olympics, the CORK regatta offered excellent training for sailors, coaches and officials and has since become a fixture on the international calendar. CORK has hosted championships for international classes out of the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour for the past 36 years.

Working closely with the Ontario Sailing Association and the Canadian Yachting Association, the annual CORK Regatta has a total participation of more than 1,000 boats, it is a magnificent two week sailing festival, attracting sailors not only from North America but from all over the world.

This year's event pretty much served up what most expect of Kingston's fabled sailing conditions. Located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and the head of the St. Lawrence River, the combination of land mass, islands and thermal effects produce excellent wind and wave conditions with very little current. Winds during July/ August are predominantly from a south-westerly direction, with an afternoon wind range of 10-15 knots. The J/22 sailors were got what they expected for their 2012 J/22 Canadian Championship held as part of CORK Race Week. Sailed from Aug 24th to 26th, the nineteen J/22 teams enjoyed six races over Saturday and Sunday on Lake Ontario. In the end, Chris Doyle, Will Harris and Adams Burns finished in first, Michele Cimon, Johan Koppernaes and David O’Sullivan in second and Kevin Doyle, Victor Snyder and their crew in third. Chris Doyle's team was just smokin'hot, scoring five 1st and dropping a 2nd to win the regatta by a landslide with only 5 pts. Hard to beat a perfect score, eh!? Michele Simon's Canadian team wished they could take back their first race, but she and her team fought back hard to hold off yet another member of the Doyle family from Rochester, Kevin Doyle, to grab 2nd overall with a 6-4-2-2-3-1 scoreline for 12 pts net. Third was Kevin Doyle's gang from Rochester sailing to a 2-3-2.5-4-2-17 to finish with 13.5 pts net.

The Canadian teams sailed well, showing they're no pushovers by the top American teams. Other than the two Doyle family teams, the Canadians grabbed three of the top five slots. In fourth was Trevor Collins sailing with Doug Mair and Alexandra Leus and in fifth was Ron Harris sailed with Pete Amos and John Marten. For more J/22 Canadian Championship and CORK Race Week sailing informationJ's Sweep Pornic Offshore Race
(Pornic, France)- In the beginning of August, the sailors of Pornic look forward to their annual "pilgrimage" (a.k.a. race) over to Gijon, Spain for some fun, sun and frolic with their friends across the big, boisterous Bay of Biscay. It's a race that can be an easy, fast reach across the southeastern corner of the Bay of Biscay, or it can be nasty, wet, extremely lumpy blast under reefed sails in yet another notorious Biscay gale. For the eighteen sailing teams that participated this year, it was very much benign summer conditions with light winds and sunshine on the water- "thanks" the the race organizers (Ville de Pornic, the League of Pays de la Loire and NPC) for the "postcard-like, chamber of commerce" conditions!

It's a challenging race no matter how you slice it. Leaving Pornic (a quaint seashore village near Nantes) you basically sail due south-southwest towards the spectacular northern coast of Spain, aiming for Gijon (a sweet seaside town west of the famous town of Santander). This year, the J/Teams swept IRC Overall taking the top three and five of the top ten!

In the reaching conditions, the J/105 proved it can still hang in there with the latest IRC hardware, with J/Y CROIS PAS (in sympathy for the Tostivint family) winning. Second was the J/109 TILI-K sailed by Alain Belveze with guest star Paul Chiron (of French multihull fame aboard). Third was another J/109- J'VOLE CN PORNIC sailed by Philippe Barouch. Sixth was yet another J/109, GUEFFIER IMMOBILIER skippered by Cyrille Gueffier and Antoine Gouin. Then, ninth was the new J/111 ALPHALINK led by Alain Duvivier.

As anticipated, the teams were treated to amazing hospitality in Gijon. The fleet enjoyed an evening soiree at Habana Club, well known to sailors, and an evening at the Casino de Gijon with plenty of delicious Spanish "tapas" and tasty, chilly sangrias! Sailing photo credis- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com. For more Pornic Offshore Race sailing informationJ/133 Smokes IRC CanadiansROO Wins J/24s, SENTIENT Wins J/105s
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)- This year the Etobicoke Yacht Club along the Toronto shoreline of Lake Ontario did a masterful job hosting the IRC Canadian Championships as well as the EYC Levels Regatta that included large J/24 and J/105 fleets.

Sailed over the August 25th and 26th weekend, the team on-board John McLeod's J/133 HOT WATER simply blew-away their IRC competition in IRC 0 Fleet, including the latest, greatest IRC speed machine, the newest McConaghy 38 CARBONADO sailed by Rob Butler (remember, they first sailed this boat in Key West Race Week 2012 to much acclaim and hype by the media). John's team also knocked off another radically-modified boat, the square-headed 1D35 GAME CHANGER that also sailed in this year's Key West event. In the end, it was a bit much for their competitors for the J/133 to win 5 of 6 races, taking a 2nd on the last race after a bit of early celebration!

In IRC 2 Fleet, the J/35 CRIME SCENE sailed by Stephen Trevitt sailed an impressive series for this 30+ year-old classic "J". CRIME SCENES record of 2-4-1-2-3-1 for 13 pts was good enough for a tie-breaker for first, but lost on most 2nds!

In the hot IRC 3 Fleet, the J/27 CURVED AIR sailed by Andrew Reim, fresh-off sailing the J/27 Canadians, managed to sail a solid 2-3-1-3-3-2 record for 14 pts to take home the 2nd place trophy.

The J/24s saw one team simply dominate the proceedings to take the overall win while others fought like mad for the balance of the top five. Simply walking off with the top trophy was Phil Williamson sailing his J/24 ROO to a magnificent performance with a 2-1-2-3-4-1-3 record for a total of 16 pts to win class by 13 pts. The battle as it turns out was for 2nd and 3rd. Peter Dixon sailed m2W well enough to win a tie-breaker with Brandon Lambert's WHIPLASH. Both had identical totals of 29 pts, but it was Peter winning with a 1-6-6-4-1-2-9 by virtue of having more firsts. Brandon's 7-2-4-6-2-4-4 came up on the short end of that stick. Matt Kenny's team on CLUSTER took 4th and Nick Jako's crew on TAZ finished 5th.

Perhaps the tightest fleet competitively in the entire event were the J/105s. There both familiar and new names in the top five overall. The battles broke out into the top two vying for the lead with the next three boats crossing swords to determine who'd get the last parry to take 3rd on the podium. Remarkably, the lead was determined on a tie-breaker after seven races! Close and tough racing, to boot. In the end, it was Mike Chapman's SENTIENT that took the title with more 1sts to win the tie-break. Mike's record of 2-1-1-5-3-8-1 for 21 pts bettered Peter Hall's JAMAICA ME CRAZY with a 1-2-19-2-2-1-3 record. Third went to Gavin Disney's team on THE USUAL SUSPECTS with a very consistent scoreline of 4-5-3-4-4-3-4 for 27 pts. Just behind in 4th was the Bullock, Farrand, Irving team on TRIDENT with a 5-7-4-1-6-2-5 tally for 30 pts. Top Canadian J/105 sailor Jim Rathbun (top 3 in J/105 NA's in the past) sailing his well-traveled and fast HEY JUDE could manage a only a fifth against this tough group with a 3-10-7-6-1-4-2 for 33 pts. Sailing photo credits- John Crawley For more IRC Canadian Championship sailing informationARBITRAGE Wins J/105s @ Summer InvitationalMR MAGOO Tops J/120 Fleet
(San Francisco, California)- Over the August 17th weekend the San Francisco YC’s always popular Summer Invitational is often seen as the final regatta for the larger one design classes on SF Bay leading into September’s St. Francis Rolex Big Boat Series.

Winds blew 18-24 kts on the Berkeley Circle, such that one of Bruce Stone’s crew on the J/105 ARBITRAGE, Philipp Berner, a skiff sailor from Germany, suggested we might as well adjust our SF Bay “base setting” to that range since it’s been there for almost every regatta this summer!

The J/105s had very close racing, particularly amongst the leaders. In the three races on Saturday, Stone’s ARBITRAGE team nailed some starts and scored a 1, 1, 2, with Jason Woodley's/ Scott Whitney's RISK close behind, gathering a bullet in the third race due to some excellent downwind sailing, passing ARBITRAGE by jibing early into even more pressure (hard to believe there was more somewhere, but there was!) and then the two boats entertained the race committee by engaging in a match racing-style tacking duel for the last half mile into the upwind finish.

On Sunday, ARBITRAGE logged another bullet despite shredding a kite on the first downwind leg and changing to the back-up spinnaker. Stone was a bit aggressive on the last start and called over early. After restarting, they clawed their way back from dead last off the line to fifth at the windward mark but was flagged for tacking too close after coming into the zone on port, so did a 720, potentially losing the podium position for the regatta, but they nailed a shift on the last downwind to work their way back again to fifth by the leeward gate, only to get camped on by the whole world on the last beat, and slid back to 8th. Nevertheless, the 8th place enabled ARBITRAGE to win the regatta by just two points over RISK, who won two races and sailed consistently strong all weekend. Behind these two fast, smart boats was a tough fight for 3rd, 4th and 5th positions. Sailing a strong series, and in fact an overall contender for the lead, was third place finisher Phil Laby on GODOT, their 2-2-3-4-11/SCP for 22 pts knocking them down the ladder. Fourth was a solid performance by Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK with a 4-12-4-4-2-4 for 26 pts. Finishing fifth was another renown SF Bay 105 team, Shannon Ryan's gang on DONKEY JACK, completing the event with a 5-4-9-8-10 for 36 pts.

The J/120 one-design class had its usual "jump up, jump ball" for who was going to lead the class home this weekend. Literally, this has to be one of the closest matched fleet of boats in the world other than perhaps their colleague in the SF Bay J/105s fleet. This time around it was Steve Madeira's MR MAGOO taking home the silverware with a 3-2-1-4-1 for 11 pts to just nip a win by one point! Second home was David Hallwill's PEREGRINE with a 4-1-2-1-4 for 12 pts, bombing the last race didn't' help their case. John Wimer's DESDEMONA also sailed a solid series to grab a 1-3-3-3-6 for a 16 pt total-- hmmm, were the finishes a reflection of the great times the crew had at San Francisco YC's famous Saturday night soiree?? Incredibly, two past Rolex Big Boat Series winners could only manage to snatch 4th and 5th, they were respectively, Barry Lewis's CHANCE and Richard Swanson's GRACE DANCES-- indicative of how tough and unforgiving this fleet can be for even the slightest of mistakes. Sailing photo credits- Daniel Forster/ Rolex. For more San Francisco Summer Invitational Sailing information"Girl Power" Trumps Hebe Haven J/80 Series
(Hong Kong, China)- Sailing is growing faster and faster in China and nowhere is this more evident than the J/80 teams that are sailing off the two principal clubs on Hong Kong's amazing harbor- Royal Hong Kong YC and their counterparts on the north side, Hebe Haven YC. Both clubs have done a remarkable job to cultivate sailing as both a recreational activity and competitive sport-- especially for women, children and newcomers to sailing in China. Well, it seems the program is beginning to demonstrate that it has some interesting dividends. Recently, it looks like the "girls" beat the "boys" in the Hebe Haven Typhoon J/80 Series.

More to the point, Lauren Mead's all-girls team won on their J/80 HAKAWATI! Here is Lauren's report (courtesy of SA)- "Team Danger, as we're often referred to by the "boys" on the other teams, has had its share of moments in Hong Kong sailing. The Hebe Haven Typhoon Series concluded with a windless race around the islands (Typhoon Tembin has been threatening to give us some awesome sailing conditions all week but they failed to materialize on the day). I helm the J/80 HAKAWATI as part of Hong Kong's first all-girls team in about 15 years (we are known as "Team Danger" in Hong Kong for reasons entirely un-deserved), and we won our series overall - with help from some suspect swimwear and distraction tactics!

Thought I would pass the photos along to you as a demo of what NOT to wear sailing (but, our clothing sponsors demanded we needed to!), but also to prove that girls can wear literally anything on a boat and they will get attention!" - Anarchist Lauren. For more Hebe Haven YC J/80 Sailing informationJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* J/70 owners chime in on some of their recent sailing experiences in the past few weeks across the country on the J/Anarchy forums:

- "Seabird" from Portland, Oregon- "We have sailed hull #18 in Cascade Locks, Oregon (a.k.a. THE Gorge) the past few weeks. I've sailed the boat with my kids and the local pros and my view is that the boat is very versatile. I really could sail it alone with my 11 year old daughter in 10-15 kts of wind, and the next night go out with guys in more breeze (20-30 kts) and have fun both nights!

I spoke with Dan Kaseler (Quantum Seattle) who was on the boat at Whidbey Island Race Week and confirmed they went 1" longer than their forestay to get helm in light air at WIRW. We found (limited experience on the boat) that in the breeze we like 1" shorter than the "designed" length. This is a new boat and I'm sure some experience in one design will sort this out soon. Definitely feels closer to my Laser than my old J/80 on the helm at any length. :)

It's really a nicely built boat that's pretty quick and fun, yet less of a handful than a Melges 24 (which is a good thing for the target audience, myself included). Resale value will be good. Casual daysailing is possible. My kids actually think the interior is great!! Most importantly, my wife is not reluctant to sail the boat!! That's huge. I think they (J/Boats) are going to sell these to a wide range of sailors and develop a nice class long term. Lots to like here."

- "JustMike" from Seattle, Washington area commented, "Anyone coming up to Bellingham Yacht Club's PITCH Regatta on September 1st & 2nd?? I think it would be a great chance to put a couple of 70's on the line with slightly different rig set-ups and sails from different manufactures (I've got Quantum and I believe others are sailing with North)?

If not at the PITCH here is the short list of Regattas in Shilshole bay, that I will be racing hull #19 in over the next few months it would be great if we along with the other J/70s could meet up at one or more of these.

Also we will be out on Wednesday nights for Corinthian YC's fall series 09/05, 09/12! Please come join us!!"

- "TheRick" from Lewes, Delaware had this to say of their first long-distance race on a J/70 off New Jersey- "We entered the "Cape to Cape Cup" regatta this past weekend and sailed a J/70 22.5 nm in the Atlantic from Lewes to Cape May, NJ in 15-18 knot of breeze. Had a blast passing a few J/24's and really enjoyed the long downhill run to the finish line in 18 knots-- WOW, what a RIDE!!"

* J/70s were also Lovin' The Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta for CRAB in Annapolis, Maryland! The fantastic breeze (no hurricanes! no doldrums!) was the big story at Saturday's Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta for CRAB, a SpinSheet favorite. Thanks to the Eastport YC for awesome race committee work and volunteer efforts. Thanks to the Boatyard Bar & Grill for making this cool event, which could very well be named the "Regatta That Rolls with the Punches", happens every year.

Chris Groobey, proud new owner of a J/70 commented, "It was a fun, crazy pursuit race for charity but still great day on the water. Crew was two US Naval Academy Midshipmen, including Andrew Shea. Can’t really give you a good idea of results as we helped with a MOB (man overboard) during the race (and got a handle of Mt. Gay from the RC as a "thank you") but were doing well, even with a 114 rating. Wilbur Keyworth was out too and had a great day, we are all loving the boat!" Sailing photo credits- Dan Phelps at SpinSheet Thanks for the contribution from friends at SpinSheet!

* J/27 Lake Ontario's Video- titled "27 years, 27 feet in 27 knots- AWESOME!" They're right. Pretty bloody amazing to see such a beautifully maintained group of classic J/27s sailing on Lake Ontario and seeing the owners having a fun time with them in ALL kinds of weather. They certainly put their boats to the test and seemingly everyone came out with smiles all around. Check it out here.

* City Sail--Young Sailors Learn the Ropes in Record Numbers! What could be more incredibly cool than that?!? City Sail--a series of one-week instructional programs Hudson River Community Sailing hosts for local youth each summer- enjoyed its highest enrollment ever this year, with nearly 200 kids showing up to learn maritime skills, leadership, and have some fun on the water.

The program incorporated various themes this summer. The America's Cup and the Olympics both served as rallying points, as students learned the history of the events and competed in races of their own. An ecology-themed program saw kids testing water samples and examining them with microscopes under the guidance of Hudson River Park naturalists.

An important objective of the program is to plant the seeds of leadership in young people. Will, an 8th grader from Manhattan, described it this way: "I liked that we learned how to do everything on the boat ourselves and at the end of the week [I] could do every job on the boat." Each of the ten individual week-long camps runs a total of 35 hours, Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Students are primarily from the 6th- 8th grades, with some high school attendees rounding out the mix.

A significant proportion of students attended with the help of scholarships provided by HRCS with funds raised from events such as the "Dark and Stormy". One parent, convinced she could not afford even a subsidized rate, was assured that scholarship funds could cover the difference. Realizing that her child would be able to join in this fantastic experience brought her to tears on the phone with Program Director Alex Baum. "We really work hard to try make sure every kid who really wants to get out and do this, can have the opportunity to do so," says Alex. Thanks for the contribution from Seth Stephenson

The J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

J/70 NYYC IQS Preview
(Newport, RI)- This year's NYYC Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS) will feature twelve new J/70 speedsters! The J/70 will join the NYYC’s fleet of Sonars when 24 of the nation’s most competitive yacht clubs compete in the NYYC USQS off Newport, RI from September 4 to 8, 2012. The top three finishers will earn the right to compete in the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. By utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 23’ in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker – along with the 23’ Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker -- the NYYC is raising the bar for competitors by testing their versatility across different boat designs as well as allowing the final decision to be made in a boat closer in philosophy to the NYYC Swan 42 -- the yacht used in the international event.

Of the twenty-four yacht clubs participating across the country, several are known to have top crews participating. Ft Worth Boat Club has Glenn Darden from Ft Worth, TX (also a NYYC member) skippering for their team- Glenn is a past J/80 World Champion, J/105 North American Champion and top NYYC Swan 42 sailor. Also a factor in the top of the fleet will be Eastern YC's Billy Lynn, past Sonar World Champion and top J/24 and J/80 sailor from Marblehead, MA. Alan Field from Cal YC is sailing their entry, Alan is a champion Melges 24 sailor from Marina del Rey, California. Past Olympian Andy Lovell is sailing for Southern YC from New Orleans, LA; St Francis YC is sending champion sailor Peter Vessella; and Storm Trysail Club from Rye, New York is sending a "Q-ship" team of undercover agents that includes Jimmy & Brenda Crane.

Many other clubs are fielding top teams, including Bay Head YC from New Jersey (Russ Lucas, Mike Fortenbaugh and Peter Wright); Carolina YC from South Carolina; Edgartown YC from Massachusetts; Fishing Bay YC from Virginia; Florida YC from Jacksonville, Florida; Grand Maumelle SC from Little Rock, Arkansas; Grand Traverse YC from Michigan; Indian Harbor YC from Greenwich, Connecticut; Larchmont YC from New York (Danny Pletsch, Clay Bischoff and Cardwell Potts); Little Traverse YC from Harbor Springs, Michigan; Nantucket YC from Massachusetts; Newport Harbor YC from California; Pequot YC from Connecticut (Dave Rosow and two Dellenbaugh's); San Francisco YC from California; Seattle YC from Washington; Texas Corinthian YC from Kemah, Texas; and Youngstown YC from New York. The competition promises to be fast, furious and extremely competitive. Last time around, packs of boats were rounding marks en-masse leading to massive changes around every corner of the race track-- it was a bit like the children's game- "Chutes & Ladders"! Anything that can happen, will happen. For more New York YC Invitational Qualifying Series sailing informationJ's @ Southampton ShowJ/70, J/80, J/109, J/111 & J/122
(Southampton, England)- Key Yachting Ltd will be exhibiting five J/Boats at the Southampton Boat Show in September, including the new J/70 Speedster which will be making its UK debut.

The J/70 Speedster is J Boats’ first ramp-launchable keelboat - designed to fulfill the growing need for an easy to own, high performance one design, that is exciting to sail, stable enough sailboat for the family, and built to last. A natural evolution of its J pedigree, the J/70’s 23.0 feet of sailing length with high aspect, all carbon rig and deep, lifting keel provides spirited performance and stability that feels like a much larger boat.

The J/80 is a well-founded class in the UK. Sportsboat classes come and go but the International J/80 (now in her eighteenth year) has truly come of age. The on-going strength of the class was proven this year with the entry of over seventy-five J/80s in the 2012 World Championship in Dartmouth in this summer. Delightfully easy to sail, yet capable of 18 knots on a breezy day, the J/80 has its own class for the Round the Island Race and at Cowes Week and at many other regattas around the UK .

The J/109 is a fabulously successful cruiser-racer- it's lively enough to hold the interest of youngsters yet stable enough to instill sea-going confidence in sailors of all ages. The boat accelerates in the lightest of puffs, and short-tacks nimbly through narrow channels under mainsail alone. J/109 owners state this racer-cruiser is the ideal marriage of true cruising comfort and sailing performance whether daysailing, racing or cruising.

The J/111 Speedsteris a powerful offshore 36 ft speedster as well as an International One-Design race-boat. Following an astonishingly successful offshore record in the first two years, the J/111 has set the precedent for her market. The J/111 is a purposeful-looking, thoroughly performance-orientated boat. She is balanced and easily driven as her third place in the 2011 Doublehanded Fastnet Race proves. There is nothing like the J/111 on the market at the moment- her race results speak for themselves and she has proved herself time and time again across a variety of conditions both inshore and offshore.

The J/122 may be the quintessential 41 foot offshore cruiser racer. With its sailing-friendly deck layout and cockpit design and comfortable arrangement plan below, the J/122 is as easy to handle around buoys as it is handling your guests. Quick and responsive, powerful and stable, easy to handle and a pleasure to steer, plus a roomy hand-crafted cruising interior, the J/122 is indeed what sailing is all about. With a modest displacement, low wetted surface, and a powerful sailplan the J/122 delivers true all-round performance. Proof? In Key West Race Week 2012, the J/122 was 1st, the J/111 2nd and the J/109 3rd! Tough choice for cognoscenti of offshore sailing performance, comfort and speed-- a bit like comparing a Mercedes AMG S65 saloon to a Porsche Carrera 4 GTS and a BMW M-Series X5 SUV. For more Southampton Boatshow information, please contact J/UK Key Yachting at "info@j-uk.com".Scandinavian Boatshows- J/111 & J/109
(Marstrand, Sweden)- The J/111 will be on display at the "Open Yard" Boatshow on the West Coast of Sweden from August 23rd to 26th. Thereafter, the J/109 will be displayed at the "Oslo Floating Boat Show" from September 23rd to 26th. If you wish to see either boat or request a demo sail on-board one, please be sure to contact Jan Nillson @ Marstrand Yachts- email- jan.nilsson@marstrandyachts.comRolex Big Boat Series Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- The annual extravaganza on San Francisco Bay that many sailors along the West Coast always look forward to is the famous Rolex Big Boat Series. This year the event has received heightened interest since it's bracketed by the two America's Cup Series events that are being held in the AC45 catamarans. A strong fleet of 48-plus boats are participating in this annual pilgrimage to the Bay area, most are hoping to experience its infamous "nuclear wind conditions", where dogs are truly blown-off chains in the Marina Green or Presidio Beach where puffs can often exceed 30-35 kts on a good sunny, hot day that started off in the 50s and dense fog in the morning. The cooler the fog is in the morning and the sunnier, hotter it is in the Valley beyond the hills of Berkeley, the harder it blows-- plain and simple. For sailors who love a breeze, it's an impossible combination to beat!

Ready to blast-off the starting line will always be the San Francisco Bay J/105 fleet-- as battle-hardened a group of sailors in the Bay's notorious wind and current conditions as any. With over thirteen boats planning to show up, they will again be the largest one-design fleet racing in the Rolex BBS. Many familiar faces and past Rolex Submariner watch winners will be sailing, hoping to go for that "holy grail" in Rolex regattas, being a repeat winner of a Rolex Submariner! So far, two of the teams sailing are in that category of "rare air", one is Bruce Stone racing ARBITRAGE and the other is DONKEY JACK sailed by the team of Rolf Kaiser, Shannon Ryan and Steve Kleha. Look for these teams and perhaps some fresh new faces to challenge the status quo and give them a "run-for-the-money" and "win da watch!"

The J/120s often have some of the closest one-design racing of any of the fleets, with the entire class often finishing within minutes of each other with 2-3 boats overlapped going into the finish line off the St Francis YC's expansive RC balcony, finishing between the shore and the offshore yellow finish marker! "Sea-room" is the order of the day, with crews scrambling to keep their spinnakers full while hugging the shore to avoid adverse current (a bit like the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight!). So far, three past Rolex BBS winners in the J/120 class are sailing, including Barry Lewis's CHANCE, John Wimer's DESDEMONA and Dick Swanson's GRACE DANCES.

Competing in the IRC North American Championship are a trio of gun-slingers in J/125s. If you recall, the past few years have seen the J/125 sailors crash the party in the Rolex BBS, confounding old and new racing machines alike-- in fact, absolutely destroying the new Farr 400s "boat-for-boat"! Last year's Rolex BBS winner, the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE has Peter Krueger leading the charge with a team from St Francis YC that includes offshore/buoy-racing notables like Jeff "Madro" Madrigali calling tactics and Bill Erklens as Strategist with a "bunch of locals"-- yikes, if you thought Andy Costello's team last year was tough, these guys are sheer mercenaries around-the-cans! Joining them will be Rick Ferris's AUGUST ICE from Tahoe YC on Lake Tahoe and also Tim Fuller's gang on RESOLUTE from San Diego YC-- all have stepped-up their games. Look for the J/125s to repeat their win in the fast IRC Division if they get any kind of breeze on the Bay. Sailing Photo Credits- Daniel Forster (Rolex)/ Sharon Green (Ultimate Sailing)/ Erik Simonson (h2oshots.com). For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As August draws to a close, there's no question our friends Down Under are beginning to dust-off their boats and look at some exciting spring sailing in the southern hemispheres. Meanwhile, up north, several significant events were happening, including the eponymously ginormous, huge, magnificent AAM Cowes Week sailed off the Royal Yacht Squadron's famous starting line in front of Cowes, Isle of Wight on the equally famous (notorious?!) current-plagued Solent. Fleets of J/111s, J/109s, J/80s and teams of J/97s, J/122s all had their day during the week. A bit north in the southern parts of the Arctic Circle summers, a small cadre of J/111s, J/109s, J/92s and others were having some fun in offshore events in Scandinavia. Across the proverbial "pond", fans of offshore sailing and around-the-cans racing were having fun in Nova Scotia's fabulous Chester Race Week held off Lunenburg. Looking south, a number of fellow J/sailors enjoyed themselves in the second annual Penobscot Bay Rendezvous with the J/160s holding their "de facto" North Americans! J/160s?! Yes, J/160s including refrigeration, ovens, wine coolers, three heads, air-conditioning, heaters, hot&cold showers, electric/hydraulic winches & furlers, dodgers and windlasses. Much fun and sailing for all!

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/97 Scotches Cowes WeekJ/109 Wins Black Fleet Overall
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- As has been the case over the past several Cowes Weeks, the thousands of sailors having fun divining what the weather Gods have in store for them on the capricious Solent will always be a source of endless debate in the Guinness tent-- for both the podium winners that day as well as those who were on the losing end of the bets on which way was better or fastest. In the end, following on their great performances in Scotland and Ireland, the J/97 FEVER GLENFIDDICH (scotch, that is!) sailed by Grant Gordon and crew had a dominant performance to eclipse IRC Class 5. Other J/stablemates faired well in the broad cross-section of conditions presented to them over the course of the week.

The regatta dawned bright and sunny on day one with a brisk east to south-east wind averaging 15-20 knots, but with gusts above 25 knots, provided exhilarating conditions for the first day of racing. With the strongest gusts forecast to be in the Eastern Solent, the dayboats in White Group classes starting from the RYS line were sent on a downwind leg to a course in the western Solent, before beating back to finish on the RYS line.

In IRC Class 2, Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas’ J/111 SHMOKIN' JOE led the fleet away, all starting towards the northern end of the line. However, while SHMOKIN' JOE and others were the first boats to cross the finish line, all had been among the seven in the class that were OCS at the start! Ouch.

By the second day the fleet saw plenty of sun and a south-westerly breeze that built to give perfect sailing conditions in 14-17 knots of wind for the event’s Family Day. An erratically moving weather trough that brought a line of showers and light winds to Cowes just before racing was scheduled to get underway presented a headache for race officials. With the trough forecast to leave a 50-60 degree windshift in its wake, the ideal was to wait for it to pass, but it had earlier stalled for 90 minutes and threatened to do the same over Cowes. To everyone’s relief it moved away just in time to allow the starting sequences to get underway with minimal delays.

The J/109 class enjoyed the closest of racing today, with tightly fought battles right round the 19.6-mile course and a number of protests. At the start, the pack was bunched at the northern end of the line near the committee boat, with Christopher Sharples and Richard Acland’s JOLENE ll looking best placed.

JOLENE ll quickly tacked onto port, with Alex Ohlsson and Neil Maclachlan’s JAI HO following close behind and Dutch entry Arjen van Leeuwen’s JOULE just astern, but to windward. When they passed to the south of Lepe Spit on their way to Cowes Radio buoy, JOLENE ll still looked best placed at the head of the fleet, but it was clear many boats were locked in tight battles. As they ran past Egypt Point under asymmetric spinnakers on the way to the finish, the leading group was still neck and neck, with each boat surging back and forward by half a length as they alternately picked up speed in a gust, or on top of a wave.

In the most adrenaline-filled finish of the day, JET, sailed by the Stanley, Walker and Williams team, extended into a marginal lead three boat lengths from the line. Two seconds after she took the winner’s cannon, another resounding bang signaled Jonathan Calascione and Jonny Goodwin’s HARLEQUIIN crossing the line. The podium appeared complete when Jamie Sheldon’s JIGSAW finished eight seconds later. With JOLENE ll crossing the line 16 seconds afterwards, the first four boats finished within 26 seconds of each other. However, both leading boats were the subject of protests. HARLEQUIN had accepted a time penalty, leaving her fourth and JOLENE ll third. But JET lost her protest and was disqualified, leaving JIGSAW as winner of the Royal Thames Danish Dish, with JOLENE ll second. There was still more drama to come in this fleet – the next two boats in the class – JOULE and Tony Dickin’s JUBILEE – finished, just six seconds apart. Less than two minutes after that, the line was thick with J/109s, with seven boats finishing in only 38 seconds.

“The finish was great,” says Ross Walker of JET, the first boat across the line. “It’s what one-design racing is all about – it was fantastic to have four boats finishing in line abreast at the end of the race. Even though we lost the protest we’re still very happy because it was such as great race – the course setters did a grand job and the lead changed several times.

‘The class this year is still very competitive, but it has more of a family and friends feel than in the past. Most of my crew are teenagers, who are having the time of their lives – we have two of the children of the crew of BASIC INSTINCT [another J/109] on board, as well as my goddaughter, while my daughter is racing on JIGSAW.”

In the J/80 class, Gillian Ross’s ROCK & ROLL started closest to the outer distance mark, nicely powered up and close to the line, and was first to tack offshore. Doug Neville-Jones’s JASMINE started towards the inshore end and was similarly well placed close to the line. A few minutes into the race, Jamie Diamond’s RASCAL, the most inshore of the fleet, appeared to hook into a favourable wind shift. AQUA-J, sailed by the Stuart, Evans and Simonds syndicate, also clearly liked the look of the left-hand side of the course, tacking onto starboard and passing ahead of RASCAL. The rest of the fleet at this stage, however, opted to stay offshore in the stronger tide.

By the finish Simon Ling’s RAFBF SPITFIRE held a big lead, almost three minutes ahead of another Young Skipper’s trophy contender, William Goldsmith’s EXESS, who in turn enjoyed a three and a half minute advantage over JASMINE in third place.

By the time of the Sportsboat start at 1125, the sun was streaming through ever-larger gaps between clouds with increasing intensity and frequency. The majority of the fleet, which is racing under IRC, opted to start at the outer end of the line, with Royal 4, one of the modified J/80s owned by the RYS and Royal Thames YC looking good. On corrected time the lower-rated boats came out towards the top of the fleet. Charlie Esse, Anthony Esse and Jason Sivyer’s modified J/80 DARWIN PROPERTY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT was second.

On Monday, the defining feature of the third day of the regatta was a gusty and shifty southerly wind that varied from less than 10 knots at times to gusts of more than 20. After a bright morning, a band of cloud with showers on its leading edge was moving eastwards towards Cowes, with very light winds forecast to follow in its wake. As a result, relatively short courses were set to make good use of the day’s best winds.

By Tuesday, the fourth day, Cowes dawned with plenty of sun and light southerly winds that started to build at 0900, reaching 10-12 knots by the time of the first starts. Later the breeze increased still further, to give puffs of up to 16 knots by late morning, before easing back to a mean speed of just over 10 knots.

White Group dayboats that started from the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line headed towards the east, fighting an ebb tide. Despite this, a lot of boats were over the line at the gun, and two starts had to be recalled. At the other end of the spectrum were those who allowed themselves to be swept too far down tide of the start. Most of the successful boats started around one-third of the way out from the shore, where they gained some advantage from a weaker tidal stream but were also able to protect their air from other boats.

Then came an enormous wake-up call on Wednesday-- the proverbial "tempest in a teapot", and then some! A vigorous and unstable cold front, associated with an un-seasonally deep low pressure system moving across southern England, upset plans for racing at Cowes Week today. Although mean wind speeds for much of the day were not forecast to be particularly severe, the possibility of sustained squalls of 33-34 knots was a serious concern for race officials.

As a result racing was abandoned for the dayboat classes in White Group and also for the smaller boats in Black Group, while the larger boats continued racing. It turned out to be a frustrating morning for many, with big holes in the wind between the showers, along with mammoth wind shifts. Between 1340 and 1350 the wind at Lymington Starting Platform varied from 9 to 33 knots, shifting by almost 40 degrees. Over the next 10 minutes it held a more constant direction, but rapidly strengthened to an average of 27 knots, with peak gusts of over 42 knots. The squalls moved quickly up the Solent, with the first big gusts hitting Cowes just after 1400, as the leaders in IRC Class 4 were closing the finish. Flogging sails could be seen on boats that weren’t ready for the sudden change in conditions, while those who were prepared to quickly change gear for the stronger winds powered past, making good gains

By the sixth day, Thursday, the weather started settling down as the fleets themselves also started to establish a pecking order with regards to whom had begun to establish almost unassailable leads over their competitors. With winds averaging 15 knots, with some stronger gusts, the sailors were provided ideal conditions. This led to a fifth win for Jonathan Calascione and Jonny Goodwin’s J/109 HARLEQUIN, putting them at at the head of the class’s overall standings, while a fifth place for Christopher Sharples and Richard Acland’s JOLENE ll was sufficient to secure second overall. However, half a dozen boats were still in contention for third with two days to go.

Meanwhile, able to secure class victory with a day spare with a third place was Grant Gordon’s J/97 FEVER GLENFIDDICH in IRC Class 5- truly a dominating performance in a very tough class over many past IRC 4/ IRC 5 Cowes Week champions in the class, including Adam Gosling's Corby 30 YES!

The seventh day, Friday, saw racing concluding for the White Group dayboat classes, including the J/80. The first leg was a tight spinnaker reach for most classes, with the most enthusiastic competitors hoisting as early as possible. However, only the best sailors were able to get them filling in the disturbed air on the start line and for some it was initially more of a hindrance than a benefit.

An individual recall on the J/80 start saw the Stuart, Evans and Simonds syndicate’s AQUA-J return to restart. It was only when the X-flag remained up that William Goldsmith’s young crew on EXESS, contenders for the Under 25 Trophy, and lying second overall in the class, realized they also needed to drop the spinnaker and return. Goldsmith’s crew did well to recover their big deficit, finishing third behind Simon Ling’s RAFBF SPITFIRE and Jamie Diamond’s RASCAL. Ling won the class overall, counting only first places, with Goldsmith second, and a fourth place today was enough to secure third overall for Geoffrey Payne’s SURF & TURF by a two-point margin.

Although a handful of winners had emerged Thursday amongst various classes, Friday was the last day of racing for the overall prizes for Black Group classes. Jonathan Calascione and Jonny Goodwin’s HARLEQUIN had already secured an overall win in the J/109 class, but was out again today, notching up an impressive sixth win to take overall victory in Black Group. Grant Gordon’s J/97 FEVER GLENFIDDICH won IRC Class 5 again to take second in Black Group.

A new prize for 2012 was the J/111 Cowes Week Challenge Trophy, which went to J/111 class winners Jeez Louise, skippered by James Arnell. This is the second consecutive year a Brighton-based crew has won the class, with Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas’ Shmokin Joe winners in 2011.

In the J/92 & J/92s Division, J'RONIMO won with BLACK JACK 2nd and JUST ENOUGH 3rd. In the J/97 Division, it was FEVER GLENFIDDICH leading the pack home, followed by JACKAROO in 2nd and JET in 3rd. In the J/122 Division, GHOST was first followed by THE SISTERHOOD in 2nd and MINT JULEP in 3rd.

In the extra-special awards category, the Under 25s Trophy went to the gang on the J/80 EXESS with William Goldsmith! Job well done mates!

Additional J Boat success was had by the new J/70, which entered the sportsboat class on day six. After a disappointing start at the back of the fleet, the exciting new 23 footer managed to charge her way through the fleet to finish second over the line. After the handicaps had been applied, the J/70 had earned her maiden UK victory! Sweet! Thanks for the news contributions by Rupert Holmes. Sailing Photo credits- Rick Tomlinsom For more Cowes Week sailing informationJ/111s BLAST Chester Race Week
(Chester (Halifax), Nova Scotia)- Chester Race Week started out slowly and with challenging weather, but ended with glorious sun and good wind. The competitors were happy with the race management and the evening parties, which didn't start until 9:30pm and were extremely well attended with 3 great local bands and wonderful Dark'n'Stormies at the bar!

The regatta featured a huge turn-out of J's ranging from the classic J/22s, J/24s, J/27s, J/29s, J/30s, J/35s and J/36 to J/92s, J/109, J/120s, J/111s, J/42 and J/44- a total of thirty J's in all, about 36% of the fleet of 92 handicap racers.

Leading the charge in the Alpha 1 Division were the two J/111s, BLAST (Mark Surette from Royal Nova Scotia YS) and STAMPEDER (Dave Connolloy from Chester YC). BLAST managed to pull off a strong series counting six 1sts, a 2nd and 3rd to finish with 11 pts net, well clear of the next boat by ten pts! STAMPEDER sailed a very nice series to collect a 7-2-2-3-6-2-5-6 for 33 pts net to grab fourth in their division.

In the Alpha 2 Division top dog was the famous J/92 POOHSTICKS (Colin Mann from Lunenburg YC), pulling off a 7-1-6-6-3-4-5 for consistent finishes to grab fifth in their division. Finishing just behind were the J/35s and J/36s, most all suffering from a controversial second race DSQ factored into their scores!

In Bravo 1 Division the J/30 FLUX (Jordan MacNeil RNSYS) sailed a consistent regatta, garnering a 5-3-4-5-scp-1-4-2 for a net of 24 pts, finishing 4th by virtue of losing a tie-breaker for 3rd overall. Johnny Wynacht, Canadian J/24 and J/29 National Champion sailed the first J/70 in Nova Scotia, finishing a credible 6th in their first outing with a slow start, but rapid finish-- scoring 9-9-6-7-1-4-3-8 for a 38 pts net, just 12 pts from the podium. Not bad for the first day sailing the J/70 and not knowing which strings to pull first!

In Bravo 2 Division the J/30 GROOVIN (Greg Hammond) finished second with a consistent record of 4-4-3-1-2-2-5-1 for 17 net pts. The J/22 CHEAP THRILL (Karen Fowler) was sailed fast by her lady helmsman, gathering a respectable (and very fast) 2-2-4-7-dnc-6-4-6 for 31 net pts. Other than her DNC, Karen would have easily factored into the top three!

In the Distance 1 Division the J/120s performed brilliantly, with the J/120 BRILLIANCE (Richard Calder from RNSYS) scoring a 4-3-1-1 for 9 pts net to handily win their division. Fourth was the other J/120 BLACK PEARL (Ross Leighton from RNSYS) with a 3-6-7-2 for 18 pts net.

In Distance 2 Division the J/109 WISC (Paul Rafuse from RNSYS) sailed beautifully to get 4-1-7-4 to finish with 16 pts net, good enough for 2nd in their division. Also sailing well was the gorgeous J/42 CASTANEA (Paul Conrod from RNSYS) that managed a tally of 2-6-3-7 to net 18 pts, just 2 pts off 2nd. Close racing, indeed, in this group of fast cruiser-racers!

Finally in the two J/One-Design divisions you have a literal wolf-pack of J/24s and J/29s sailing, neither fleet was won in a runaway. In fact, the regatta outcome hung in the balance of the last race or two for both fleets! In the J/24s, it was Greg Blunden on ADRENALIN RUSH that won a tiebreaker over Hamblin's JAMMIN. Blunden's `-5-3-1-1-3-2 for 12 pts net won on 1sts over Hamblin's 9-1-2-2-3-2-2 for 12 pts, too. Third on the podium was decided by yet another tie-breaker! "Holy Tie-breaker Hell" said Robin to Batman. How can this be? Ross Romney's RUSH HOUR managed to score a 6-6-1-4-2-5-4 for 22 pts and Ted Murphy's JUVENILE DELINQUENT tallied a 4-7-4-5-4-4-1 for the same 22 pts, but lost. The nod went to Ross's RUSH HOUR crew to fill out the 3rd spot on the podium.

In J/29 World, with even more on the line with the recent J/29 North Americans having been run nearly concurrently, it was going to be "local bragging rights" to see who could party hardest, go the fastest, sail the smartest to win this division! In the end, it was pretty remarkable to see Andrew Childs' team on SILVER WOMAN top the 29 charts with a spanking of the class- a 1-1-4-4-2-1-3 for 12 net pts laid down the gauntlet for all to match. Next up was past champion SCOTCH MIST IV sailed by Chris Mac Donald with a 6-2-5-2-1-4-2 for 16 net pts. Third sailing well were Matt & Scott Christie with a somewhat steady 3-3-3-5-8-2-1 for 17 net pts (imagine what might have happened had they not had to toss an 8th!). Fourth was the Williams/ Matthews crew on PARADIGM SHIFT and 5th was Jim Mason's SATISFACTION. Sailing photo credits- Heather McGuire/ Tim Wilkes - timwilkes.com For more Chester Race Week sailing informationJ/111 BLUR Frosts Arctic Circle/ Baltic Sea Circuit
(Somewhere in Northern Europe- a.k.a. Scandinavia)- It's been a great season for many of the Swedish J/Boats. Long time J/boat aficionado, Peter Gustafsson, got his new J/111 BLUR in time for SPI-Ouest France and managed a top three finish! But before handing his old J/109 BLUR over to the new owner, he and his team won both the Marstrand Big Boat Race and the inshore part of AF Offshore Race (Around Gotland Race).

Back on-board the new J/111 BLUR for the balance of the Scandinavian sailing summer, they quickly adapted to the boat. Here's Peter's quick summary of their sweet summer season aboard the 111:

"We were 3rd in the super competitive R40-class in Færderseilasen in Norway, 2nd in class in Around Hermano, winning the feeder race to Around Tjorn and last weekend they topped it off with a 3rd overall of 436 boats in Around Tjorn, Sweden's largest yacht race.

The Around Tjorn is the highlight of the year for many, gathering all kinds of boats and sailors. This year we had Fredrik Loof straight from winning the Olympic Gold Medal in his Star and the Swedish guys from GROUPAMA (Volvo Ocean Race Winners) racing in the 28 mile race around the island of Tjorn.

We had very close racing with the two First 40s that came first and second. We led on the first beat despite winds up to 14-16 knots but when it opened up, it quickly became a waterline race. We knew we were faster downwind, so we just had to hang in there. Turning the corner, the chase begun through the narrow passages in the archipelago. It was just crazy, doing 15 knots with the big kite just a few feet away from the rocks. In the end we were very close but lost out on handicap.

To round of a great weekend I did the same course solo on Sunday after the race. We were ten boats that tested if the format would work for a new solo race in 2013. Sailing the J/111 solo worked beautifully!! I really love the boat.

On the agenda for the season is to top 20 knots-- so we have the crew on standby for one or two September low pressures!" We wish them well. We have NO DOUBT (like the famous musician) they will top 20+ knots boatspeed!

Other J/boats that's are winning races in Sweden are J/105 JAVELIN with Sebastian Larsson who won Around Naset overall and the J/97 SAILING FOR JESUS skippered by Lennart Jansson who won his class in Hermano Runt. Sailing photo credits- Ake FredrikssonSailing reports:http://www.blur.se/2012/06/10/faerderseilasen-2012/http://www.blur.se/2012/08/06/hermano-runt-2012/http://www.blur.se/2012/08/20/tjorn-runt-2012/http://www.blur.se/2012/08/20/mellan-broarna-solo-2012/Penobscot Bay Rendezvous Fireworks!TRUE Wins J/160 Cruise!
(Camden, Maine)- Last year's inaugural event was a smashing success! The 2012 Penobscot Bay Rendezvous, August 16-19 once again proved to be one of Maine's most exciting sail and powerboat regattas of the season. Super yachts, to classics to performance racers, passage-making power cruisers, Picnic Boats and lobster yachts all participated. The Penobscot Bay Rendezvous is a celebration of boating, featuring daily races for sailboats and a Poker Run and Photo Pursuit events for powerboats, the participants were treated each night to lobster bakes, barbecues, dancing and fireworks.

Rockland was the center of attention on Friday with the "Texas Flying Legends" airshow starting the event off the Rockland breakwater. Saturday’s destination was Camden Harbor where guests danced the night away to the seven-piece dance band "Groove Authority".

This year was the first ever J/160 North American Championship with five J/160s participating! The underlying premise for the J/160s was keep it simple and keep it fun. They had a one-design start with a simple but modest handicap of six seconds a mile given to the shoal draft boats. #3 jibs and mainsails were the full sail complement so two of the boats were easily handled with one couple sailing double-handed. The competition was spirited with fine 20 knot breezes on Friday, a challenging day of light air on Saturday and a bit more breeze on Sunday. Abundant sunshine, mostly blue skies, lobster pots, seals and the Camden Hills as a back drop made for a glorious sailing experience.

All participants were treated to fabulous parties, an intimate (50 yards away) fireworks display, a unforgettable half hour World War II era air show amongst the fleet pre-start on Friday, live music and of course great camaraderie.

All of the 160s have been down island, Mexico, or across the "Big Ponds" (Pacific or Atlantic). Some skippers were in their second race ever-- and some had more extensive experience. The winner, Howie Hodgson is in his second year with his 160 TRUE, with a custom and elegant interior with three heads, three cabins and a massive nav station - perfect for this long legged Greyhound of a yacht!

PHRF 2 had a battle royal on Sunday with the J/80, J/29, and two J/100s all tied for first with five points. The J/100 skippers are both retired gentlemen with strong racing backgrounds and competitive juices still running in their veins. The J/29 was sailed by Larry Turner, a former America's Cup bow man who took delivery of his new but well used boat the day before the Rendezvous--- and a very well sailed local J/80 with owner Jesse Henry and Penobscot Bay Wizard and all-time J/24 genius, Jeff Dinse on board. Local knowledge won the day! Jesse's J/80 CHAISE LOUNGE won over Larry's J/29 RENEGADE.

In Double-handed, Tom Babbitt's laid back approach on his J/42 BRAVO (full cockpit cushions and dodger deployed, full bookshelves below, shoal draft, aluminum mast, grill on the stern rail, crew average age in the sixties ) proved victorious with grit on the windy day (refusing to reef with a 155 percent genoa in 20 knots) and intense concentration (for senior citizens) in the tricky light stuff.

Single-Handed saw Scott Miller on his J/122 RESOLUTE, veteran of a couple of short-handed races to Bermuda, take the top prize over Ron Hart on his J/109 for a J-sweep of the top two spots. Sailing photo credits- Billy BlackJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* Heather Gregg-Earl Dominates Nantucket Pro-Am Regatta! Nantucket Race Week’s featured IOD Celebrity Invitational Regatta started with a whimper and finished with a bang. On day one, PRO John Mendez and his hard working team managed to complete just one race in a light northerly, followed by abandonment and towlines to get everyone home. A day later, Nantucket Sound delivered signature conditions, 15 – 20 knots of wind, four tight races with constant changing of positions, and many exhausted crew by day’s end.

In the regatta’s unique format, many of North America’s best sailors act as tacticians, each being matched with a participating helmsman and team whose regatta fees and “bids” for tactician selection raised nearly $50,000 for Nantucket Community Sailing. The local IOD Fleet Association makes its fleet of identical International One Design sloops available for the benefit of the NCS fundraiser.

In the end, Heather Gregg-Earl of Stage Harbor YC and New York YC (J/70 owner and past J/24 Champion sailor and Tufts Jumbo Collegiate All-American Woman Sailor) became the first female winner of the event. Her celebrity tactician was sailmaker and champion Robbie Doyle, along with crew members Miles Cameron, Michael Obuchowski and Will Christenson.

Runner-up Gary Jobson (J/22 owner), President of US Sailing and Honorary Chairman of Nantucket Race Week entered as helmsman for the first time, switching from prior years’ role as tactician (for Democratic Senator John Kerry in each of the past two years). Jobson’s tactician was Dee Smith, who has been consistently near top of this competitive fleet three consecutive times. Together the crew might have been dubbed "Team Who’s Who", with champions and longtime sailing partners Jud Smith, Hank Stewart and Jim Porter.

Other Celebrity Tacticians rounded out an all-star roster, together representing countless national, world and collegiate championships, Americas Cup contests, Olympic Games, and offshore events – Chuck Allen, Sally Barkow, Andrew Campbell, David Dellenbaugh, Kevin Farrar, Cam Lewis, Dave Perry, Mark Reynolds and Will Welles (bold are all J/Sailors!). Honorary Chairman Tom Whidden welcomed participants at the opening reception, where Ken Read of Puma Ocean Racing (and past multiple J/24 World Champion) later presented thrilling video of the Volvo Ocean Race. Later, at the trophy presentation, Whidden said, “My wife Betsy and I love to come to this wonderful destination, it's great sailing for a great cause. We appreciate all that Nantucket Community Sailing stands for, and we are delighted to have an opportunity to lend our support.” Sailing photo credits- Karen Ryan Photography For more Nantucket Race Week Pro-Am sailing information

* J/22 owner and past J/29 owner of boats called POWERPLAY, Peter Cunningham of the Cayman Islands, managed to walk off with top honors in IRC Class 0 in the AAM Cowes Week in his latest POWERPLAY, a recent vintage TP52 that includes past J/24 Champion Tony Rey amongst his crew as tactician! Congratulations to Peter, Tony and crew for a job well done on the Solent! Sailing photo credit- Rick Tomlinson

* The J/105 Class latest owner, Dennis Conner, recently had an interview with the J/105 Class and shared his thoughts on his newest fleet as well as his sailing career. When asked what led him to purchase the J/105 PHOLLY (Lowell North's original boat #3), his answer was clear- the 2012 J/105 North American Championship at San Diego Yacht Club this October 17-21. He summed it up simply, "I like to race, and this is a chance to race against friends, like Dennis and Sharon Case."

Long-time members of the J/105 Class, the Case Family actively campaigns WINGS, and as Conner's neighbor, just might have had a little influence on DC's recent purchase. "Case is the favorite to win the championship," Conner said proudly of his friend. Although he has yet to race on a J/105, Conner plans to learn his way around DC's PHOLLY in the coming weeks prior to the North American Championship. With almost 700 J/105s in existence, hull #3 has obviously been around for a while. Does DC's PHOLLY need a little TLC? "It needs a little help because it hasn't been sailed much," he admitted. "Our local fleet takes excellent care of their boats, so I'll have to get mine up to those standards. They are such beautiful boats."

Conner noted that J/105 Fleet 8 has a reputation for its intensity and he commended the Class for its favorable reputation. "The boats hold their value quite well, which is a testament to the Class." Regatta participation has gone down in many classes over the past year or two, but Conner complemented the J/105 Class for holding its own compared to other fleets. "The J/105s really are a robust Class. We've seen the Etchells fleet drop locally from 45 to 12, but not the J/105s." He called out two primary factors in the current struggle facing many fleets and yacht clubs in maintaining members and participation-time and money. "With two people working, not everyone has the time it takes to be competitive."

In his opinion, the J/105 Class has built-in cost control with its sail purchase limits, plus used boat prices are very reasonable. "This bodes well for the J/105 Class." In a career with a plethora of achievements, three particular accomplishments stick out in Conner's mind. "Winning the Star Worlds in 1977 with 89 boats," he recalled. "It was in Kiel, Germany, and we won every race." And it would be hard not to recall the four America's Cup victories and a bronze medal from the 1976 Olympics.

The champion was quick to tip his cap to a few other fellow contestants, including Buddy Melges, runner-up in the "America's Greatest Sailor" contest, and legendary Lowell North. "I really look up to Lowell," Conner commended. "Imagine, four Star National Championships and being the world's best sailmaker. He is my hero." Conner is registered for the J/105 North American Championship, and predicted entrants will see ideal conditions on the race course with steady Southwest breezes of 7-14 knots. He also expects stellar shoreside activities at the San Diego Yacht Club. As far as his own expectations, "I'm not sure what to expect. I'm realistic, and my goal is to be competitive and enjoy the regatta. I'm just excited to be part of it!"

* America's Cup sailors participating in this week's ACWS 2013 Season Opener in San Francisco Bay are again having to put up with a strong contingent of past and current J/Sailors tossing a monkey-wrench into the works. Starting with recent Gold Medal Olympian Ben Ainslie, he's on "training wheels" this week and progressing rapidly- having done well on the Match Race front and learning the ropes in the fleet racing-- a combination of dinghy and keelboat (J/109 & J/24/ IC24) experience have contributed to his open-minded approach to success. Giving Ben and others a run for the money are J/24 World Champion Terry Hutchinson directing the Team ARTEMIS program along with other J/Alumni on other teams-- perhaps the Spanish sometime soon (Iker Martinez and friends from J/80 World in Spain?).The J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/Featured Boat

J/122 GAMBLER For Sale

GAMBLER is a 2008 J/122 that is ready to continue winning races, or go cruising! If you are looking for a 40' dual purpose sailboat, GAMBLER can do it all! There are very few J/122's with the winning pedigree that GAMBLER has and even fewer with the 3 cabin layout. GAMBLER has been optimized for racing with top notch bottom and foil preparation, she's a past J/122 North American Champion. The sail inventory is all North and includes NEW 3Di sails!